Trials of Morale
by Innosense
Summary: It's been ten years since the war began.The Celestian army is losing,badly.The Lunar army holds the capital of Canterlot. The following details three days,showing the upside of the Lunar armies successes and the downsides of the Celestian armies failures.
1. Ten long years

**I think I may have lightened the mood a bit since the Awakening. I realized while I was doing this that I couldn't work Pinkie and Rarity in for shit. So this is mainly focused on the Despair trio. Plus I went a bit nuts with references to games I've played. So if you can pick them out, let me know.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Celestia looked out over Ponyville, or more specifically, what was left of Ponyville.<br>The Carousel boutique was a wreck, the library was lacking anything from beyond six hands, Sweet Apple Acres orchard still stood… barely, Sugar Cube corner was missing. Many other homes and business' were destroyed but still the residents of Ponyville kept a smile as the world was destroyed around them.

"Is this what you wanted sister?" An apparition of Princess Luna asked. "You wanted to see all of Equestria wracked with war once more?"

Celestia didn't face the ghostly form of the matriarch of the moon. She could barely face herself. Her crown was missing as was the splendor that once emanated from her coat, once pure white now dirty silver. Her mane and tail, once shining with radiance and color was almost devoid of the shades and hues that once graced it. "No. I wanted it all to end in a week. Maybe a month, with me still in power and Equestria mostly in one piece." She whispered.

"And yet here we are." Luna shook her head. "Lunara still wants your cutie mark adorning her study here in Canterlot."

"I didn't want any of this to happen." Celestia sighed as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "None of it at all."

"This war will end with neither of us in power sister. At the end of these ten years the war is no closer to ending than it was after ten months." Luna sighed. "I'll talk to you later sister. Lunara has me signing a declaration of aid in the time of war with the Dragon king."

The apparition vanished as the young unicorn by Celestia's side panted.  
>"Sweetiebelle. Fetch my daughter and commander Applejack." Celestia ordered.<p>

* * *

><p>"The draconian king Rayquaza. How are you?" Luna asked. "Lunara, if you can tell flight commander Fluttershy to step up patrols please. And tell flight leader Dash to take it easy with her wing after that last hit." The alicorn asked her daughter.<p>

"Your will be done mother." Lunara bowed before turning and exiting through the door.

"I understand this declaration is not your doing but your daughters." The emerald green serpent asked as he coiled himself up like a snake. His yellow eyes focused on the midnight blue alicorn sitting on the throne before him. In his opinion she truly looked more the part of a tyrannical dictator than her sister, but she had proved him wrong. He noted that she had recently started wearing a replica of her Nightmare Moon armor, the only difference was the color, a royal purple rather than a pale blue.  
>His trained eye saw wisps of enchantment magic trailing of the polished surface, causing her midnight blue coat to waver in the sunlight that flowed in from the window, shifting between her usual shade of a faded deep blue to the more regal midnight blue.<p>

"You are correct. My daughter always has had a soft spot for dragons." Luna laughed softly, drawing the draconian serpent from his thoughts. "She had a dragon assistant long ago. He still serves her I believe."

Rayquaza chuckled. "I can see that from the number of my draconian sons and daughters that already serve you. My congratulations on your recent acquisition of the throne as well." He said, his deep, gravelly voice kept to a whisper to prevent the expensive windows from breaking, as he extended a small(in comparison to the rest of him) arm tipped with three clawed fingers. "Yes the dragon called Cynder. He oft brushed off my official orders to serve the one he calls mistress Lunara.

"Former assistants from the unicorns that attended my sister's school. And thank you, such praise from the oldest body in Equestria is an honor." Luna nodded as she extended her left foreleg. "That's my daughter for you. She can be quite demanding and in some cases scarier than the power you or I weild."

The dragon king took her hoof and shook it. "Now that the formalities are out of the way, let's get down to business."

* * *

><p>"Ya wanted to see us princess?" Applejack asked as she approached with Celeste, Rarity and Pinkie Pie in tow. "We were practicin our formations for our next tussle with the Despair trio."<br>Applejack was easily the most muscular of the other ponies in Celestia's army and had received the honor of leading the Elements of Hope. Her blonde mane and tail had been let out of their bindings years ago resulting in much of her orange coat being obscured from view. While it was starting to grey with age she hadn't slowed down on the battlefield. Her element necklace shone brilliant platinum as a diamond in the shape of an apple sat at its forefront, changing colors every few seconds. Her cutie mark had changed to show a stylized apple tree with three apples falling from its branches.

"We being sent out to take out another unicorn encampment in the Everfree ruins?" Rarity asked. "That loyalist trash shall never know what hit them."  
>Rarity was the leader of the rogue unicorns that had sided with Celestia after the war broke out. Her long purple mane and tail had been cropped by one too many close calls at the hands of Luna's royal guards during the raids on Canterlot. Her once ivory white coat had become a pale shade of grey which fitted in with the silvering of her mane and tail in places. She had long since passed the point of caring about how she looked in the war. All she wanted was to make a certain yellow Pegasus pay. Her element necklace shone white gold with a black diamond in the shape of a lozenge cut diamond. Her cutie mark now depicted the three lozenge cut diamonds, stylized and interconnected by a trilliant cut in between them.<p>

"I think the Wonderbolts are a bigger threat than an encampment of unicorns Rarity." Pinkie Pie nudged her friend. "After all, Dashie is leading them now."  
>Pinkie led the ambush unit, setting traps for enemy convoy's and patrols. Her team frequently worked with Rarity so the two had gotten to be quite close. Her mane and tail had lost the fluffy shape and texture they had so many years ago, reverting to their original straightened style. Her coat, mane and tail had lost their vibrance, the color fading into matte. Her element necklace was slightly tarnished due to oxidization but the pink diamond in the shape of a balloon on the forefront still had its luster. Her cutie mark hadn't changed much, the three balloons had been stylized and now carried small bombs on their strings<p>

"The dragons are siding with the forces of Luna. Should I contact the griffons mother?" Twilight Celeste asked.  
>Celeste was, for intents and purposes, not a pony. She was a chunk of magic given solid form when her host had switched practices. The differences between her and her former host had grown in the years, starting from simply the cutie mark to their mane color and now even their wings were different.<br>Like her mother Celeste was an Alicorn. A winged unicorn. Her coat was a pale lavender and her mane and tail were tricolored, gold contrasted heavily with the purple and pink stripes running through them. Her eyes shone a brilliant aqua as her angelic wings stretched.  
>Celeste was the second in command of the Elements of Hope, which suited her just fine. She was there to plan and coordinate the attack if it came time again to face down her cousin and the Elements of Despair. She was also the most injured of the team but when you're nothing more than a chunk of magic, not much can really hurt or threaten to kill you. She tried not to hold a grudge against her enemies but she did have a rival, the huge purple dragon that followed her cousin. She knew far and away her cousin outmatched her in magic combat, only Applejack had the seemingly bizarre ability to match hooves with Twilight Lunara, despite her lack of magic. Her Element tiara shone a radiant gold with a blood red diamond sitting atop it in the shape of a sun. Her cutie mark had changed the least, aside from the stylization there was no change.<p>

"No my daughter." Celestia finally spoke up. "Take the Crusaders and run. Find a safe place and set up a small compound. Preferably as far away from here as possible." She smiled as the next sentence left her mouth. "We're going to take Canterlot back."

* * *

><p>Twilight Lunara walked into the flight control center of Canterlot. A yellow Pegasus sat at the far end, calmly directing flights and patrols.<br>"Fluttershy?" She called out.

Fluttershy turned to look at the alicorn. "Twilight!" She yelled before she galloped over and hugged her CO.  
>Fluttershy was in charge of directing the flights and patrols of the fighter pegasi that protected Canterlot airspace. She was also the marefriend of Princess Luna's daughter, Twilight Lunara. Her soft spoken and calm demeanor served her well in the FCC of Canterlot. Nothing about her had really changed save for her mane and tail getting longer, the pink had gotten slightly darker as the years went by and her coat had darkened with age. Her element necklace was a dull black gold with a pink butterfly shaped diamond in the forefront. The three butterfly's had shrunk to one, stylized and surrounded by pouring rain.<p>

Twilight nuzzled her marefriend affectionately. "Mother wishes to have the patrols stepped up for the time being, we have a VIP on premises and she wants total security."

"Will do." Fluttershy nodded happily. "I assume Rainbow is in the patrols as well and you'll want to talk to her too."  
>Twilight nodded and followed Fluttershy back to her console.<p>

"Delta-three-tango Actual this is Mike-three-foxtrot Fluttershy. CO Lunara wishes to speak with you." Fluttershy spoke into her mic.

After a few seconds a face appeared on the view screen. It showed a cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane wearing a blue jumpsuit with yellow lightning bolt highlights. "Hey Fluttershy. Twi wanted to talk to me?"

"I did indeed Rainbow Dash." Twilight nodded as she walked onto the camera. "You are to take your flight and patrol the skies over Canter hwy. to make sure the resistance doesn't try anything funny."

"Wilco." Rainbow saluted as the screen went blank.

* * *

><p>"Alright you heard the CO Wonderbolts!" Rainbow Dash barked. "We scramble in five. Soaren. I want you in charge of the ASF ponies. Spitfire, you've got the bombers. I'll take the JSF squadron to act as backup." She told her two wingponies.<p>

"Yes ma'am!" Soaren saluted before trotting off to get ready.

"Ma'am?" Spitfire asked. "Are you sure you should be flying so soon after that injury?"

"I can't send my team into danger without subjecting myself to that same danger." Rainbow sighed. "I'm aware that's what got me injured in the first place. Which is why I'm taking the JSF ponies and acting as backup." She told her ace bomber as she strapped her goggles on. "Now go get ready. You've got three minutes."

"Ma'am." Spitfire saluted before trotting off to join her flight.

Rainbow flexed her left wing and cringed as a twinge of pain shot through her. "I'm gonna make that bitch pay."  
>Rainbow Dash was the fastest flier in Luna's Royal Air Force when she was sent to lead the Wonderbolts after their flight leader was shot down. Soaren and Spitfire helped her keep the rest of the squad in check as she earned their respect.<br>The three of them had gotten to be close friends and that relationship soon evolved. Rainbow, being bi, now had Soaren as her coltfriend and Spitfire as her marefriend.  
>Her mane had been slightly trimmed and her tail had filled out the difference. Her element necklace shone brilliant silver while a blue diamond in the shape of a lightning bolt sat at the forefront. While it was invisible under her jumpsuit her cutie mark had changed significantly, the cloud was stylized and the lightning exited the bottom of the cloud in red, looped around to the left and reentered the top green before leaving the bottom again in yellow, looping around to the right and reentering the top purple, forming a sideways figure eight.<br>With a sharp click she fixed the hunk of metal to her left foreleg and slid a metal barrel that reached her shoulder into the back of it before she trotted over to the ground crew waiting for her.  
>Exactly three minutes later all three flights were in the sky and headed toward Canter hwy.<p>

* * *

><p>Twilight watched from her private quarters in the old Canterlot library before turning to look at herself in the mirror. Her lavender coat was as well groomed as always. Her demonic angel wings stretched as she appraised herself. The red tips on the navy blue feathers looked like she had been killing enemies with her wings. Her slate blue mane continued to compliment the purple and pink stripes that ran through to her tail. Her eyes, once a deep purple, reflected an imposing crimson. Her element tiara was obsidian black with a magenta diamond in the shape of a new moon perched atop it. Her cutie mark had changed as much as her cousins, the new moon had stylized itself and that was the extent of it.<p>

A voice roused her from her thoughts. "I thought you weren't vain Twilight Sparkle."

A smile crept to the alicorns features. Only one creature was brave enough to call her by her old name. "Spike. My good friend." She said as she turned to face the massive purple dragon staring into her room. "You look well."

The dragon snorted, puffs of blue-black fire leaving his nostrils. "Still as brave as always Twilight. Indeed I am well. This treaty is another step towards crushing the resistance. And makes our agreement official"

Lunara laughed. "Cynder, I knew you when you were a baby. I know you're weakness. I hope you bring news of the assignment. It's been far too long." She remarked as she read through the draconic history tome she had perused from one of the kings guards. "Fascinating. So the dragon king is not of this dimension. This makes just makes things even better."

* * *

><p>Down in Ponyville, chained up in the apple cellar of Sweet Apple Acres, a unicorn sat, a magic casing over her horn to prevent her use of magic.<br>"Flight leader Lightning Talisman, Wake up." The unicorn whispered.

The Pegasus next to her groaned and opened his eyes. Instinctively he tried to open his wings.

"Don't bother, they've put a wing lock on you. You're not getting back into the air anytime soon." The silver unicorn smirked, her hail storm cutie mark glinting in the light that spilled through the window.

"We'll see about that Commander Snow Flake." Lightning scoffed.

Snow Flake shook her head. "You know you've been out for about two days while they transferred you here."

"And where is here?" Lightning asked as he glanced over his torn Wonderbolts uniform. "And why hasn't my team rescued me yet?"

"Welcome to Ponyville flight commander. More specifically Sweet Apple Acres apple cellar." Snow Flake smiled. "And your team thinks you're dead. They also have a new leader. A young Pegasus named Rainbow Dash."

Lightning lifted his head to say something but was silenced when his mouth began glowing with magic.

"You two shouldn't be talking. Not while the Great and Powerful Trixie is around." A blue unicorn wearing a purple cape and a witch hat walked in.

"Take a hike Trixie, we got this." Sweetiebelle yelled as she stepped out from behind an empty apple barrel.

"Yeah." Scootaloo agreed as she did the same from the opposite side of the room.

"Alright Crusaders pack it up!" Applebloom yelled as she poked her head in the window. "Celestia wants us to accompany the elements and act as a build team. So shackle up the POWs and let's move out!" Applebloom ordered as she glanced around the room. "That means you too Trix. Get a move on. And if ah hear any more of that great an powerful crap ah'll leave you in Everfree forest again."

Trixie sighed. "Yes ma'am." She saluted before heading up the stairs.

Applebloom pulled her head out of the window and trotted off to get her own prep work done.

"Is our guest alright Snow?" Sweetiebelle asked the silver unicorn.

"A little dazed and confused. But he's good overall. I think the others will be pleased." Snow smirked again as she pushed her horn covering off with a burst of cold air and motioned to the chocolate brown Pegasus next to her. "You both ready?"

"As ever." Scootaloo smiled as she undid the locks on Lightning's wing lock. "All hail Luna." She whispered.


	2. RoT part 1

Bolts of magic sizzled past the silver unicorns ear, singing her blue and cyan mane. "I thought you said we could escape without anypony noticing we were gone!" She yelled to Sweetiebelle.

"So did I. It must've been Trixie!" Sweetiebelle yelled back, her witch hat cutie mark absorbing the spell and reflecting it back through her horn.

With a snort of frustration Snow Flake jumped and twisted in midair to land facing their pursuers. "You guys look all hot and bothered. How about cooling off?" She quipped before she forced her ice magic into the ground. "Arctic Dungeon!"

The ice travelled rapidly along the ground, freezing the soldiers in their tracks.

"And now let's try a little neutral magic." She whispered as the frost on her horn vanished and it began to glow a deep blue. "Magical Symphony!" She yelled as her horn materialized musical notes and launched them forward. When the last note rocketed forward she turned and started galloping to catch up to the others. A sound like glass shattering filled her ears followed by painful screams. With a tiny burst of ice magic she left a calling card on the ground near the soldiers bodies.

"Holy Luna you're strong." Sweetiebelle said as Snow caught up to them.

"You should have seen her on the day the war began, she matched hooves with Celestia." Lightning smirked. He had ditched his torn uniform and put his brown coat and lightning bolt cutie mark on display for all to see. His silver-grey mane and tail made it look like he was carrying a pair of clouds.

"And here I thought that Rainbow was brave." Scootaloo gasped, her angel wing cutie mark catching the light of the sun. "You took on Celestia in hoof to hoof combat?"

Snow nodded. "With a little help from Lightning here and the Wonderbolts. Sure did."

"Well aside from dropping you and the others off, we didn't really do much." Lightning smiled. "I stuck around to watch though. That was one heck of a magic battle."

"You gotta tell us what happened." Scootaloo practically demanded. "I thought only Princess Luna or Twilight Lunara could match Celestia in a magic fight."

Snow smiled and began to recount the attack.

* * *

><p>"<em>We're nearing your drop point." Lightning remarked as he glanced at his passenger, a silver unicorn with a blue and cyan mane and tail.<em>

"_Thanks for the update." She smirked. "Remember. After I'm off your back get outta here. Nopony else needs to get hurt."_

"_You never told me your name ma'am. I'm Lightning. Lightning Talisman." Lightning told the mare as she prepared to jump._

"_Snow Flake." Was all she said as she launched herself. "Cause I'm one in a million." She added before she formed a cone of ice around her body and angled towards the balcony of the royal palace.  
>The impact shattered her cone and she landed hard on her hooves. "Not the best way to start a mission." She groaned.<br>She looked up from her landing point as the others began their drops.  
>All over the palace grounds meteors were landing, lightning was hitting the ground, balls of darkness slammed through walls, the fountains exploded and pony statues made of earth and stone sunk up to their haunches.<br>A bolt of lightning slammed onto the balcony next to hers and a meteor smashed into the one beyond that._

"_Nice landing Snow!" The lightning pony called out "The apocalypse siblingss are going to rock it again!"_

"_You said it Strike!" The fire pony yelled out. "We're the best of the Arcane mares. No way will even Celestia be able to stop us!"_

"_Don't get cocky Strike, Burning." Snow told her brothers as she smiled._

"_Same to you sis! Strike Electro and Burning Flash are heading in!" was the simultaneous response she got._

_Snow shook her head. "Snow Flake going in!"_

_The third floor guards hadn't put up much of a fight but it was the one hundred and fiftieth floor they were heading for._

* * *

><p><em>They met up with a team of commando's. Nine ponies. Three mages and six rebel soldiers with spiked horseshoes on the ninetieth floor and assumed command of the team.<em>

"_Alright ponies, our objective is Princess Celestia. To reach her we need to get to floor one fifty. Once there the nine of you are to help us clean out the royal guards and then leave. My brother and sister and I can handle Celestia." Strike told them. "Any questions?" He asked. When no pony spoke up he smiled. "Alright then, pack 'em up and move 'em out soldiers."_

_The next sixty floors were moving faster than ever until they hit floor one forty nine. A rival team of three stood at the base of the stairs that lead to the final floor._

"_Ahh the apocalypse siblings and a team of nine. How nice to finally meet you." The black earth stallion in the middle said. His blond mane and tail were short, way too short. He had his back to them. It showed how much he trusted his two accomplices who were wearing hoods. His cutie mark showed a white octagon with three red segments in it._

"_Whiskey." Burning Flash snorted._

"_Hello Flash. So nice to see you again." Whiskey said as he turned around to face the team of twelve. "And you brought Flake and Electro. It's a regular family reunion."_

_At that the two figures removed their hoods and revealed a green earth stallion with a short brown mane and tail. A knife in its sheath was his cutie mark. He stood on Whiskey's right._

_On Whiskey's left was a blue earth mare with a blond mane and tail tied with a hair band. Her cutie mark was a red, scarab shaped object._

"_What are you doing here?" Snow asked._

"_Why I'm protecting the princess with my team, isn't that right Red Field? Valentine?" Whiskey asked the two earth ponies flanking him._

_The two of them simply nodded._

"_Get out of here." Strike told the other ponies. "We can handle this."_

"_Sir we can take them, we outnumber them four to one." One of the mages spoke up._

"_We could outnumber them thirty to one and it would still boil down to just the six of us going at it. Get outta here!" Burning yelled._

* * *

><p>Another bolt of magic shook Snow out of her story. "Sonuvabitch." She mumbled. "I'll continue later. Looks like the cavalry caught up to us."<p>

"And we got our own cavalry!" Lightning yelled happily. "Wonderbolts incoming!"

* * *

><p>"Delta-three-tango actual to Mike-three-Foxtrot, over." Rainbow Dash called into her mic.<p>

"This is Mike-three-foxtrot go ahead Delta-three-tango actual, over." Fluttershy responded.

"Mike-three-foxtrot we have sighted enemy targets chasing down what looks to be some escaped POW's please advise, over." Rainbow relayed.

"Roger that Delta-three-tango, give me a sec…" Fluttershy said before silence filled the radio for about five seconds. "You are go to assist the POW's, over." She told Rainbow.

"Roger. Delta-three-tango actual out." Rainbow said before she clicked of her mic. "You heard her stallions and mares. Help those POW's!"


	3. Family business

**Warning. The Celestian army is going to be my way of conveying the effects of low morale. So the character derailment here is intended.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Celestia shook her head at Applebloom's report. 'Three dead soldiers, two high value POW's returned and two double agents that weren't discovered. With any luck Ditzy's found something of use.'<p>

"Princess. It's AJ. Let me in." Applejack yelled as she banged on the door. "We just got a message from RD."

Celestia had been about to tell her highest ranking soldier to leave her alone for abit. "RD? Oh heavens no." She practically wailed before regaining her composure. "Slip it under the door Commander. I have something for you too. Strictly eyes only though."

Without a sound the slip of paper slid under the door. Using her magic Celestia grabbed it and slipped the after action report under the door to Applejack. "Thank you commander. You may leave now."

Hearing Applejack's hoofsteps recede on the cobble stone streets of Ponyville, the sun princess sighed and read the message.

'Dear tyrant,  
>The jig is up. I know you have a mole in my team, I've also watched them meeting with your soldiers. By the time you read this, they will be dead, cremated and their ashes scattered into the ocean.<br>love, Flight Commander Rainbow Dash.'

With an aggravated huff Celestia incinerated the message and sent a projection of herself to her sister.

* * *

><p>Applejack read the report silently on her way back to Sweet Apple Acres, cursing silently to herself.<br>She was a ball of rage by the time she reached the farm, the letter crumpled in her hooves and hanging from an enchanted string.  
>"Applebloom!" She bellowed as she burst into her sisters room. Her sister was in the corner, talking with Trixie. With one deft motion, Applejack grabbed the paper ball and flung it into the air before slapping it into the side of Appleblooms head with her right foreleg. "Maybe y'all can explain this to me! Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo takin our POW's and hightailin it ta Canterlot with aid from the Wonderbolts!"<p>

"Ah tried to stop them sis!" Applebloom tried to defend herself.

Applejack glanced at Trixie and motioned at the door. "Git outta here. This is family business."

With a frightened nod, Trixie saluted Applebloom and Applejack before rushing out of the house.

"Now explain!" Applejack demanded.

* * *

><p>Rarity simply hung her head in shame. "I still can't believe that Sweetiebelle would betray us." She looked around the remains of the second floor of her boutique and sighed sadly. She had lost a lot of respect and even been cast into doubt herself after Sweetiebelle assisted Scootaloo in springing Snow and Lightning.<p>

"When we find her you can ask her why yourself." Pinkie Pie said as she nuzzled Rarity to calm her down. "But Applebloom is probably feeling worse than you are. I mean those two were her best friends and they betrayed her. Applejack is probably furious at her for not trying hard enough. Reputations recover Rarity. Friendships don't."

Rarity smiled at her friends attempt to cheer her up and was about to say something when someone burst in the front door below them.

"Don't think y'all can run Applebloom! Ah know Big Macintosh don't approve of it but it's the only punishment ah could think of." Applejack yelled from below.

They could hear Applebloom crying before a solid thwack sound echoed up followed by a dull thud.

The two friends rushed down to find Applejack with an unconscious Applebloom draped across her back. A small pool of blood on the floor behind her.

"Applejack!" Rarity gasped. "What in Equestria did you do to her?"

"Ah knocked some sense into 'er." Applejack replied without turning around. "Not mah fault she can't take a punch."

Pinkie frowned. "AJ that's not very nice. She was probably feeling bad enough about being betrayed by her best friends and then you go and do that."

"If ah went soft on her then she would've started slackin off. In case y'all hadn't noticed Pinkie, we're in a war. Ya gotta be able trust the pony next to ya with yer life." Applejack shot back. "Applebloom here went soft on 'er friends and they got away. I'm gonna cop an earful and probably the same thing I gave Applebloom from Big Macintosh." She sighed. "But I ain't gonna run from my problem."

"Applejack!" Rarity yelled. "You'll be lucky if Applebloom trust's you at all after this." She scolded the earth pony. "I wouldn't be surprised if after this she decide's to defect too."

Applejack shot a death glare at the unicorn. Pinkie was surprised she didn't just drop dead from a heart attack then and there.

"Point noted." The orange earth pony growled. "But watch yer mouth Rare. You doubt my kin again and Ah'll make sure you don't get to see yers."

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Applejack landed hard in the mud. She was bruised and aching all over, not to mention bleeding from numerous small cuts, but still conscious.<p>

"Git up AJ." Big Macintosh said. "Ah ain't gonna stop 'til yer out cold too." The rain had soaked his mane and tail, making him look even more imposing than normal.

Applejack shakily got to all fours. "Ah ain't gonna run away from my punishment." She whispered to herself before Macintosh's hoof struck her in the stomach and sent her sprawling to the ground on her side. "But it's lookin mighty temptin seeing as ah won't pass out." She coughed before throwing up.

"Git up." Was all the red draft horse said. The rain had turned his coat a deep crimson color.

Applejack got to her feet and glanced behind her older brother. Ten imprints of a pony traced a path back to the front steps of the Apple family residence. It could have been the pain messing with her mind but Applejack couldn't help but start laughing.

"What's so funny AJ?" Big Mac asked, stopping midswing.

"Well. You've spent the past five minutes kickin me around out here." Applejack laughed. "Ah reckon yer holdin back on account I'm a mare." She smiled a knowing smile. The pain was starting to catch up with her, her vision got all fuzzy and she couldn't hear properly. "Ah can take another hit. Come on brother. Hard as you can."

"If'n you insist AJ." Big Macintosh shrugged before turning around and bucking Applejack in the ribs as hard as possible.

Applejack felt her breath leave her as her ribs cracked. Feeling nothing under her hooves she looked down to find herself flying through the air before she felt a sharp pain in her side and slid to the ground. She looked up and laughed at the tree that had interrupted her impromptu flight. "Good ol' red bark." She smiled before she gave way to unconsciousness.

Big Macintosh sighed as he trotted over and picked her up. "Well AJ. You asked for it." He whispered as he put up a tent and laid her inside of it. "Fer yer own good. It'd be best not to move those broken bones. Too much." He added as he slid out from under her gently and laid a blanket on top of her. He zipped up the tent and trotted back towards the house.

* * *

><p>"Is AJ gonna be okay?" Applebloom asked as Big Mac walked past her window.<p>

"Surprised you even care at the moment." Big Mac said.

"Ah don't. But Ah also don't want her to get sick and die." She smiled weakly.

"She'll be fine. Just a few broken bones, some minor cuts and bruises." He assured his youngest sister. "Sorry y'all had to watch that."

"It's fine." She assured him. "G'night big brother."

"Night Applebloom." He whispered as she turned off her light and laid down.


	4. RoT part 2

_Red Field and Valentine had been knocked out and shackled. As Strike and Burning congratulated each other on a job well done Snow continued to fight Whiskey._

"_You were so much better than this Flake. What happened?" Whiskey taunted as he jumped over her and tried to buck her in the back of the head._

"_I learned magic dipshit." She snorted as she ducked the buck and charged up her horn. "Moonsong!"  
>A large ball of ice shot from her horn and impacted were Whiskey was standing not even half a second earlier.<em>

"_Impressive." He smirked. "But still not good enough!" He yelled as he charged the unicorn._

"_You're not the only one with mist teleportation." Snow smirked as she froze herself._

_Whiskey smashed through the ice only to have Ssnow reappear from a shard that had appeared behind him. "I'm impressed."_

"_You will be!" Snow growled as her horn glowed a brilliant azure blue. "Luna's entrapment!"_

_The ice Whiskey smashed through attached itself to his hooves and held him in midair. "What?" He growled._

"_Strike! Burning! Get ready!" Snow yelled as her horn began to glow an almost black, midnight blue._

_The two stallions nodded and took up positions on diagonal angles behind Whiskey._

"_Spark volt!" Strike yelled as a bolt of lightning shattered Wesker's bonds on his right side and held him in place, the ball of yellow plasma that served as his cutie mark was pulsing, bathing his red coat and black mane in a sickly color._

"_Snake of flames!" Burning shouted as a river of flame snaked up and shattered the bonds on the left side. "He's all yours sis." His flaming snake head cutie mark pulsed in time with Christians, bathing his black coat and red mane in a devilish manner._

"_Shining…" Snow began, her voice straining. "Layered…"_

"_No! No you foals! You'll be killed too!" Whiskey yelled as he struggled against his captors, causing his sunglasses to fall off, revealing a pair of reptilian eyes._

"_Do it now sis. I don't know how much longer we can hold him." Strike strained._

"_FORCE!" Snow shouted as a huge magical laser shot from her horn and hit Whiskey, causing a chunk of the wall to cease existing altogether. She saw Strike and Burning jump clear at the last second. When the beam subsided there was no sign of Whiskey._

"_Think he'll stay dead this time?" Burning asked as he looked out the hole in the side if the palace._

"_Probably not." Strike said as he joined his brother._

_Snow didn't care, she just wanted to rest, the beam took a lot out of her and her brothers could take Celestia without her. The shattering of chains got her attention and she turned to look where her brothers had shackled Red Field and Valentine and found the remains of the chains sitting there._

"_Fuck"_

"_Shit."_

_She turned to see the two earth ponies tackle her brothers out of the hole._

"_Snow! Go! Finish the mission!" Strike yelled before Valentine knocked him out with a headbutt._

"_If Celestia falls it'll all have been totally worth it!" Burning shouted before Red Field cut his throat with a knife._

_Snow didn't feel anything. She knew she should have felt something. But she didn't. She wasn't sad at the loss of her brothers, she wasn't angry at the enemy for killing them.  
>She popped a stim to wake herself up and recharge her magic.<em>

"_Need a little help?" A voice asked._

_Snow turned with a start to find a Wonderbolt had flown in through the window behind her._

"_Snow Flake was it? It's me. Lightning Talisman." The brown Pegasus said._

"_You son of a bitch." Was all she could bring herself to say. "I told you to get out of here once you dropped me off."_

"_Well I couldn't let a beautiful unicorn mare continue a suicide mission alone now could I?" Lightning rebutted. "Besides suicide is always better when it's done in pairs."_

_Snow chuckled as she pulled herself up using the pegasus' hoof.  
><em>

_Taking the chuckle as a good sign, Lightning offered his hoof. "So. Shall we topple a Princess or die trying?"_

_Snow took the pegasus' hoof. "Let's kick some ass Lieutenant."_

* * *

><p>Snow smiled as she rode on Lightning's back to Canterlot. "Kind of ironic that we'd be heading back to where this all began in the same way."<p>

"A good or bad kind of ironic?" Lightning asked.

"Neither." She replied. "Just ironic."

* * *

><p>"So Scoots how was the deep cover op?" Rainbow asked the orange Pegasus as she flew over from listening to Snow's still unfinished tale.<p>

"Applebloom is such an idiot." Scootaloo scoffed. "I can't believe she thought we'd defect from Luna."

Rainbow laughed. "That easy huh?"

"Delta-three-tango actual this is Mike-three-foxtrot. Are the POW's safe, over." Fluttershy asked.

"Hang on Scoots." Rainbow said as she keyed her mic. "This is Delta-three-tango actual. Affirmative. The POW's are safe and we are entering Lunarian air space now, over." Rainbow reported before turning back to Scootaloo "We kept your Wonderbolt uniform nice and clean Scoots. Welcome back."

* * *

><p>"Copy that Delta-three-tango. Out." Fluttershy smiled. She watched as the Wonderbolts approached Canterlot with two additions. A brown Pegasus with a silver-grey mane and tail, carrying a silver unicorn with a Blue and cyan mane and an orange Pegasus with a purple mane and tail carrying a white unicorn with a pink and purple striped mane and tail.<br>The sun touched the horizon as Rainbow Dash, Soaren and Spitfire did a flyby of the control tower to celebrate the successful mission.

"Mike-three-foxtrot. Your shift is over. Go get some rest." A voice came from behind her.

"Okay Thunder Clap." Fluttershy yawned. "Good hunting Mike-five-gamma." She smiled as she trotted out

Fluttershy shared quarters with Lunara. Everyone in Canterlot knew about it. There were rumors that Fluttershy had only become the FTC for the Wonderbolts due to the fact she was the marefriend of the princess's daughter. Everyone in the FCC knew she had reached her position through diligence and hard work, that and the fact she was friends with the Wonderbolts flight leader helped as well. She giggled as she remembered Dash's reaction when she took the mic for the first time.  
>"Twilight I'm home." She called out as she entered the library. A note fell from the table next to the door.<br>"Fluttershy, Cynder needed my help with something. Will be back before dinner. Love, Twilight Lunara."

* * *

><p>"So Cynder. You going to tell me who you need help with?" Twilight asked.<p>

"Right through here." The giant dragon growled as he gestured to the high security dungeon. "I know you're going to enjoy this one."

"Ah so you found another one of them?" Twilight beamed.

"I did. You should only need two more after this for your little project." Cynder smirked.

Twilight said nothing as they reached the only cell in use. "Hello Greed. Oh look at you. You still have Spike's form. I'm going to enjoy this far more than I should."

The element of Discord shuddered in fear causing the chain on the neck shackle to clatter against the wall. The small, purple dragon gazed upon the alicorn and her dragon escort with fear in his eyes. "No. Please. Don't. I-I-I didn't do anything to deserve this!"

Twilight opened the cell door with magic. "I know." She cooed, mock sympathy dripping from her voice. "But still. I need your element. Selena knows I'm not going to be able to get the elements of Hope. Besides, Discord is so much darker than Hope. It'll serve even better."

The faux dragon had tears in its eyes.

"What did deceit say to Scootaloo?" Twilight thought for a moment. "Oh yes. Scream all you want little dragon. No pony will care."

He never even got the chance to do that. With a horrible snapping and gurgling sound he threw up blood as his arteries were severed one by one. Twilight then picked up the body with her magic and sent 100,000 volts coursing through it.

Cynder chuckled. "There goes my childhood form, good riddance to weakness."

The faux dragon dissolved into dust and left behind a swirling purple cloud trapped in a crystal.

Twilight picked it up with her magic and dropped it into a glass case. "If that is all Cynder. I don't want to keep Fluttershy waiting."

"That is all my mistress." Cynder bowed. "Give my regards to Fluttershy."

"Will do. Thank you Cynder." Twilight nodded before she vanished in a blast of dark magic.

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash and her two wingponies, Soaren and Spitfire, touched down after their flyby.<p>

"Good flying out there everypony!" Rainbow called out. "Only one injury."

The Wonderbolts applauded their own skills.  
>They liked having Dash as the Flight leader, she actively helped the new recruits for the local airforce and picked out the best young fliers she saw to be put up for observation.<br>She was also a lot less of a perfectionist than the other leaders, able to adapt to situations and willing to try her fellow fliers plans if she felt hers weren't working.  
>As such the squad had grown from the small collection of six aces to forty five of the best fliers in Equestria. At current however there was a forty sixth member. A rookie in every sense of the word but for some reason Flight leader saw potential.<p>

Dash pulled the barrel out of the apparatus on her foreleg and peered inside. "One round left."  
>Sliding the barrel back in place she trotted over to the wounded Pegasus, the rookie they all called her. Always wearing her goggles, nopony had seen her eyes at all. Just made her too suspicious. "It hurt rookie?"<p>

"Yeah. A little lead, but don't worry. I should be right again in a few weeks." She replied before looking up to find himself staring at the barrel on Dash's foreleg.

"Nobody double crosses my team and gets away with it." Rainbow Dash growled.

"W-what are you talking about lead? I'm loyal to the cause. All hail Luna and all that jazz." The rookie stammered.

A small crowd of ground crew and Wonderbolts surrounded the Flight leader and the rookie.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. I did my research. I have to know everything about my team. Height, weight, aerodynamics. I got all that on you rookie." Rainbow smiled and lowered the device. "But…" The smile turned wicked.

"B-but?" The rookie asked.

"When I look up personals. D.O.B, age, parents and siblings, affiliations. Nothing comes up for you." Rainbow smirked as she brought the barrel level with the rookies forehead.

"A-all the more reason not to kill me right? Benefit of the doubt?" She pleaded.

"BOTD only applies if I don't know anything about you." Dash smirked. "Listen up everypony!" She yelled, getting the attention of the few remaining Wonderbolts that hadn't gathered around. "After our last mission, our DCO's informed me of a mole in our group."

Everypony started to murmur.  
>"I thought it odd that there were AA ponies on that mission."<br>"What about when they went down in the forest, we didn't find them for months."  
>"I know right and then there was the time that…"<p>

"While they could provide me with that info they couldn't give me a name. She was using an Alias." Dash shouted before turning her attention to the rookie. "Isn't that right Ditzy Doo?"

"Who?" A pony called out.

"The pony we've all come to know as Bright Eyes or the rookie, is really a Celestian spy!" Rainbow explained. "Any last words?" She asked as the Wonderbolts opened up and left a gap behind Ditzy.

"You can kill me but you will never kill us all! We have the Elements of Hope on our side!" Ditzy stood up, Dash kept the barrel level with her forehead. "We shall be victorious! All hail..."

A sharp metallic slam followed by a bang echoed from the device on Rainbow's foreleg as a small piece of conical metal flew through the short distance of open air between the barrel and Ditzy's forehead in the blink of an eye.  
>A small hole drilled through the pegsus' head and exited the back, trailing blood and brains before impacting the solid steel wall with a crack.<p>

"Luna!" Rainbow finished the cheer. "All hail Luna! All hail Luna!"

Soon the hangar was filled with cheers of "All hail Luna." As the Wonderbolts, the ground crew and even the few civvies that happened to be walking outside the facility overheard the chant and joined in.

* * *

><p>Twilight reappeared in her laboratory in the libraries basement and placed the gem on a plinth with two others. "Deceit." She checked off as she glanced at a crystal with a swirling yellow cloud.<br>"Malevolence." A crystal with a swirling orange cloud.  
>"And now Greed. All that remains is Cruelty and Sorrow and the beast will rise again."<p>

As Twilight went upstairs to greet Fluttershy the three elements began to glow as they sunk into the plinths. A mural on the back wall began to glow. A giant five headed dragon with a body of blood red mist was depicted over a flaming town as a bipedal creature stood before it with a bladed weapon in hand.  
>"Soon my black beast, you shall rise in this world." Twilight whispered as she closed the door.<p> 


	5. Forgivness

Rarity and Pinkie Pie watched as Applejack took her unconscious sister with her and headed back towards Sweet Apple Acres. The two of them sat in stunned silence.

"She is right." Pinkie said after about twenty minutes. "We are in a war and none of us can afford to be easy on ourselves or each other…"

"Are you mad Pinkie? You saw how she treated Applebloom just then!" Rarity gasped. "Ooooh. I have half a mind to head back and stop her." She seethed. Motes of light began to form around her.

Pinkie waved them away. "She'll get her own back. In the mean time, let's get some sleep. Because of the POW's escaping we're going out again tomorrow with the same objective." She reminded the ivory unicorn next to her.

"Yes. Yes I suppose you're right Pinkie." Rarity sighed, throwing a half smile at the pink earth pony.

Pinkie giggled, a rare occurrence these days. "Of course I'm right." She smiled as she stood up and walked to the backrooms. "Now come one silly. I bet Opalescence is starving."

Rarity quickly stood up at the mention of her pet cat. "Oh yes. Dear thank you for reminding me, it totally slipped my mind that she would be hungry."

The two of them headed downstairs, into the small bunker that had been placed under every building in Equestria for just such an occasion.

"I'm still so thankful you took me in after Sugarcube corner was destroyed." Pinkie smiled sadly as she followed Rarity down the spiral staircase. "It's still hard to believe that the Cakes are gone too."

"It was the least I could do dear. After all you helped me defend the western entrance when Lunara brought the full wrath of the lightning brigade upon us." Rarity smiled as she slowed and allowed Pinkie to trot beside her, giving her friend a nuzzle. "Don't dwell on it too much dear. It took us so long to get you back. At least Gummy is still around right?"

Pinkie perked up as she remembered her joy at finding Gummy, her pet alligator, relatively unscathed in the wreckage. "Yeah. At least Gummy survived. Athough Gummy may not be so accurate anymore."

The two friends continued talking as they entered the bunker.

"Mrow." Opalescence meowed as she glared at Rarity and Pinkie, her stomach grumbled and her glare got even stronger. Her white coat still retained its Pinkie Pie level of poofiness despite her age. The purple bow on her head was missing, having been lost when the second floor of the boutique was gutted by a magic shot.

Gummy sat on the floor, a small hiss let Pinkie know he was glad to see her. He had grown considerably in the past ten years, he no longer fit on Pinkie's back, he was a good five meters long and was four times heavier than Pinkie. His teeth had grown in and he was a powerful tool in combat.

Rarity immediately went for the cat food and began to open a tin with her magic, while Pinkie rubbed Gummies back.

"Whose mummies little gator?" She cooed as Gummy raised his head and tail like a cat. "You gonna come with me on my mission tomorrow?"

* * *

><p>Celeste sat in the mayor's office, scanning through communiqués and listening to radio reports.<p>

"Alpha- three-bravo where are those reinforcements you promised us?"

"Bravo-one-charlie you're leaving the safe zone…Bravo-one-charlie what the hay are you doing?"

She used her magic to shut off the radio to continue reading in peace.

Somepony knocked on the door, causing her to sigh in frustration. 'Stay calm Celeste. Just because Lunara used to be easily annoyed doesn't mean you have to be.' She thought to herself. "Come in."

A black earth pony with a short, blonde mane and tale walked in. Sunglasses covered his eyes and a flowing coat obscuring his cutie mark from view entered the office. "I have business with Celestia."

"Celestia is in her private study and is not to be disturbed unless it is urgent." Celesta recited from memory.

"Very well. I can wait." The stallion said before he moved to the visitors seat and sat down.

The two sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, the only sound being the shuffling of the papers held by Celeste's magic.

"So…" Celeste began.

"Major." The Stallion answered.

"Thank you. So major. What business do you have with Celestia? Has Commander Applejack heard the news you bring?" Celeste asked.

"I'm part of her majesties black ops unit. I answer only to Celestia herself." The stallion informed her.

Celeste nodded. "The blank ops? You don't look like the combat type."

"I'm not with combat. I'm research." The stallion elaborated.

"Oh. You're under that Parasol then Mr. W." Celeste deduced.

"Very clever lieutenant colonel." The stallion applauded slowly.

* * *

><p>"Once again my apologies Rayquaza." Celestia said through her projection. "I'll take my leave now." With a sigh Celestia returned to her body. "Well. At least now I know my sister didn't give the order."<p>

A knock on the door drew her attention. "A Mr. W to see you mother." Celeste announced.

"Send him in." Celestia sighed again. 'With any luck he'll have some good news.' The door opened a few seconds later and the black stallion entered the study. "Ahhh. Whiskey. Always a pleasure." She smiled. "I trust Equestria has been good to you."

"As always Princess. I bring news of your project." Whiskey smiled.

* * *

><p>The sun raised over Sweet Apple Acres and found its way onto a tent under one of the trees in the orchard. With a groan Applejack opened her eyes.<p>

"Whoa Nelly. Feels like ah got hit by a runaway cart loaded with horseshoes." She chuckled as she tried to lift herself up, the pain in her midsection getting harder and harder to ignore. "Looks like ah got what ah asked for." She smiled as she managed to pull herself to her hooves. She grabbed her hat from the ground next to where she had been laid down the night before and flipped it onto her head before she unzipped the tent.

"Mornin' Applejack." A morose looking Applebloom greeted her. "Ah thought you might be hungry so ah brought you some breakfast." She smiled weakly as she placed the bowl of oats on the floor of the tent.

Applejack felt terrible as she looked at the bruise on her sister's face. "Thank you sugarcube. Ah'm real sorry about yesterday." She shut her eyes, both out of pain and to clear the tears that were building up. "Ah guess I just let mah temper get the better of me."

"It's okay Applejack." Applebloom said, toeing at the ground. "Ah understand. Ah'm sorry ah messed up."

Applejack sighed and opened her eyes, tears flowing freely. "Naw Applebloom. Y'all got nothin' to be sorry 'bout. Ah'm the one who snapped. Ah'm the one who let her frustrations control her. You just happened to be unlucky enough to be the one to set it all off." Ignoring the pain in her stomach and ribs she gave Applebloom a hug. "Ah shouldn't a hit you darlin', ah'm sorry. Ah've been a terrible older sister. Can y'all forgive me?"

Applebloom was crying now too. "Ah'm sorry Applejack. Ah'm sure yer bein honest but… but ah can't. Not yet anyway." She sobbed as she pulled out of the hug. "Please. Just leave me be for a few days okay?" She asked before galloping off.

"Applebloom!" Applejack called after her. "Applebloom. Please."

Big Macintosh watched the events from the front step of the house. "Y'all reap what y'all sow AJ." He said to himself before shaking his head and walking inside. "We all learn that the hard way."


	6. Challenge

Rainbow Dash rolled over in her bed at the sound of a knock on the door.

"Permission to enter ma'am?" The pony on the other side asked.

Rainbow recognized the voice as Scootaloo's. "We're off duty Scoots. Come in."

The orange Pegasus mare trotted in with a rolled up piece of paper in her mouth. She placed it on the desk next to Rainbow's bed and trotted out without another word.

Rainbow groaned. Scootaloo was a good flier and one of the best Air superiority ponies she had ever seen, but she was always a bit to… uptight when not on a mission.  
>With a sigh the cyan Pegasus picked up the note and unfurled it, placing it back on the desk so she could read it.<p>

* * *

><p>"One on deck. Delta-three-tango actual prepped and ready for solo stealth recon run over the Whitetail woods." Thunder Clap announced. "Delta-three-tango be advised once you are in the air you will be alone and unmonitored for approximately one hour until Mike-one-Juliet takes over."<p>

"Copy Mike-five-gamma. Advisement acknowledged." Rainbow smirked. 'Perfect. This needs to be strictly OTR.' She thought.

"You are clear for takeoff Delta-three-tango actual. Your sky." Thunder Clap said.

"Copy, my sky." Rainbow parroted before she galloped forward and leapt off the end of the runway, unfurling her wings at the height of her leap and pushing herself forward.  
>It would be a good two hour flight. Luckily she still had three hours of darkness before the sun came up. She checked the two cannons mounted on her forelegs. Both had full ammo and copies of her new cutie mark carved into the barrels.<p>

* * *

><p>Princess Luna basked in her moonlight and watched as Rainbow Dash flew off in the special night stealth suit for the Wonderbolts. 'So the challenge has been issued once more.'<p>

* * *

><p>Twilight woke up early, Fluttershy's warm breath tickled her neck. With a sweet smile she slowly edged herself away from the Pegasus until she reached the end of the bed. With a quick burst of magic she silenced her hooves as she put them on the floor.<br>It was a beautiful morning. The sun had yet to rise and the stars were just starting to vanish. With nary a thought she teleported to her mothers side.

"The night is so beautiful isn't it my daughter?" Luna asked without turning her head.

"It is mother. It seems a shame to have to make way for the day." Twilight nodded.

Luna bit her lip. How best to break the news to her daughter. "You know. Rainbow Dash just took off for a stealth recon mission over the Whitetail woods."

Twilight turned her head, her eyes wide with shock. "No… not again." She murmured before she turned and walked off the balcony. "That crazy foal. It's like she wants to be killed." She whispered before she teleported back to her house.

* * *

><p>Rainbow could hear the tune of her favorite song playing in her mind. The lyrics danced on her mind, wanting to be released into the air. She allowed herself to whisper them. The ancient Equestrian lyrics played their translated form across her mind.<br>The sun started rising as she reached the end of the second verse so she quickly stripped herself of her uniform, her custom cannons staying on her arms due to a pair of magnetic bands on her forelegs. With purpose she angled herself up tucked her wings in, forcing herself to barrel roll into the Whitetail woods before flaring her wings to slow her descent when she was under the treeline. With a thwump she landed softly as she finished the song.

"Glad to see you turned up Dashie." A voice from behind her sounded. "I was beginning to think that Twilight had scared you smart." The voice dripped with rage.

Rainbow Dash turned around and eyed the pink earth pony. "Pinkamena Diane Pie. You know CO Lunara wouldn't keep me from our little rendezvous." She snorted as she lifted herself back off the ground and readied her cannons.

A flash of light shot out from the tree behind Rainbow. With a quick backflip, the blast of magic shot between her hind legs, singing her tail. "And you brought Rarity. And here I thought we were going to play fair today."

"Hello Rainbow." Rarity snarled. "Is Fluttershy going to show up? I have business to tend to with her."

Rainbow cast an eye to the sky and smiled. "Nope. But you'll have an even better fight on your hands in a little bit."

Pinkie eyed the Pegasus. "What are you…"

"Arctic Dagger!" A voice shouted.

Rarity screamed as she was lifted from the ground by the impact of the blade of ice before being caught by a brown Pegasus stallion with a silver mane.

With a smile he tossed the frightened unicorn higher into the air and rocketed up after her. "I feel like playing darts." He laughed as he grabbed Rarity and rocketed back to the ground with her in his hooves. At the last second he turned and continued perpendicular to the ground with about three feet to spare. "Geez you're heavy. This is your stop." He said before he let go and watched as Rarity dug a trench with her face.  
>With purpose the Pegasus zipped back and caught the silver unicorn that had leapt off his back before turning and heading back to Canterlot.<p>

Pinkie growled as her back up was knocked out in less than a minute by the two ponies that had escaped yesterday.

Rainbow dashed up, cresting the treeline and watched as Pinkie seemingly reversed gravity around her to float up with her.

"Now!" The Earth pony yelled.

"What the?" Rainbow asked before a bolt of fire magic sizzled past her right ear before she had to duck a flaming blade and block the second strike with one of her cannons. "Diabolus." She whispered and her cannons began to glow, the magic within the cutie mark carvings activated and pushed the blade back.  
>Using the pause to her advantage, the cyan Pegasus shot off like a rocket, twirling in a barrel roll, curving up, a trail of blue and red energy following her cannons before she righted herself and shot down towards Pinkie as fast as she could.<br>In a millisecond she was in front of the stunned earth pony, before she could impact however, a blue image of Pinkie's cutie mark appeared behind her. "Aww horseapples."

Pinkie split herself into a hundred different ponies, all of them looking exactly alike. "How could you abandon us Dashie!" They all screamed. "We needed you and you ignored us!"

Rainbow brought her cannons up in front of her face and watched as a rainbow colored shield glyph appeared.

"Now you'll pay!" All the Pinkie's screamed and started beating on Dash's shield.

Punches, kicks, bucks, stomps, some of them launched energy beams form their mouths, others threw objects they pulled out of nowhere. Dash watched on as her shield stood up to it before one of the Pinkie's grabbed her tail and surprised her. "Aww no. This is gonna hurt." Rainbow whimpered as all the Pinkies pulled back their right hoof for a punch.

Right before the punches impacted they all merged back into one Pinkie with a scream of "THIS IS FOR ABANDONING ME!"

Rainbow quickly summoned her own strength, a translucent red image of her cutie mark flashed behind her. "We'll see how you like a little Buccaneer Blaze!" she smiled as she met Pinkie's punch with one of her own.

Hoof met hoof and Rainbow won.

"First a little loop." She smiled as she fired her cannons at Pinkie while she looped around her. "Then a backshot!" She quickly twirled around and fired all twelve of the barrels on her cannons at once. "aaaaaaaand time for the blaze!" She announced as she shot past Pinkie and slammed the barrels together.  
>Behind her Pinkie erupted in a ball of light and flame before she fell to the woods below.<br>"And that is the Buccaneer Blaze MKII." Rainbow panted before dodging another barrage of swings from a flaming sword. 'Darn it. I forgot Celeste was here.' With a push of her hooves she blocked the next swing with her cannons, creating a short distance between her and the alicorn. She glanced over her shoulder at Canterlot. 'I'm not coming home tonight.' She thought before she closed her eyes and hung her head, waiting for the final blow. 'I don't regret anything. I had fun, I joined the Wonderbolts, I lead the Wonderbolts and I got to date two of them, at the same time.' She opened her eyes to the slowly approaching alicorn. Her rose eyes full of determination. "I'm happy if it ends here and now!" She yelled before clenching her eyes shut once more. 'Still no sense looking my killer in the eye.'

Celeste raised her sword with her magic and swung.


	7. RoT part 3

_The door exploded inwards from the charge that Lightning had set on it._

"_And the first act begins." Celestia whispered as she turned around. "I've missed the thrill of combat."_

"_Lust SIN!" Snow yelled as she fired a ball of pure ice magic at the solar princess._

_Celestia batted it away effortlessly, only to be hit by Lightning full force as he trailed the ball.  
>"Not bad captain, lieutenant."<em>

"_Lightning!" Snow shouted as she charged up another Lust SIN._

"_Got it!" The Pegasus shouted as he pushed himself off Celestia with his rear hooves. "Enjoy the deep freeze Princess!"_

_Celestia batted the ball right back at Snow as soon as she recovered._

"_Rebellion! Under Heaven Destruction!"_

_The two spells collided and merged to form a dark ball of ice that shot into the sky and rained down shafts of dark energy that left the ground frozen._

_Celestia quickly leapt from the balcony and spread her wings. Dealing with the lieutenant solo had to be easier than dealing with both Snow and Lightning together. 'Still. Where did she learn dark magic?' She thought to herself as she dodged the shafts._

"_Eyes up Princess." Lightning quipped as he tackled her into one of the shafts path._

_Celestia shook herself off and was about to retort when the beam struck her and froze her wings. As she fell she saw three unicorns standing on the balcony watching her descent. 'The Apocalypse siblings.' She thought. "It all makes sense now."_

_Snow took a few steps back and galloped toward the edge before launching herself over it._

"_So she wants to duel me till we both die at the bottom?" Celestia mused._

_Lightning pulled up beside the plummeting alicorn in a controlled dive. "Nnnnope." He grinned._

_Snow formed a cone of dark ice around her body and dropped. The aerodynamics of the cone meant she caught up with Celestia within seconds._

"_No!" Celestia screamed as she fired a powerful bolt of light fire at the cone, shattering it. She smiled smugly as she watched the pieces fly off and lazily arc toward the ground._

"_Ride this bitch like a boss!"Came a voice from the debris field._

"_No way." Celestia shook her head in shock. Nopony should have been able to survive that. Doubly if their element was ice or dark._

"_Awww yeah!" Snow screamed with enjoyment as she rode a hunk of ice like a surfboard. "Ice cars! What will I think of next?"_

_Lightning smiled and flew up next to his unicorn partner and offered her a ride._

"_I know!" She screamed as she forced the ice to accelerate before she leapt onto Lightning's back. "Ride the Lightning!" She guffawed. "What now bitch? All hail Luna!"_

_The ice board shattered against Celestia's horn. Not that the sun princess noticed due to the fact that a unicorn was riding a Pegasus toward her in a steep dive._

_The pair quickly caught up with the bewildered Princess and soon Snow and Celestia were face to face._

"_By the way. You never got to experience real fun did you?" Snow laughed, she was aware she looked like a maniac but she didn't care. "Adrenal stims. Fuck yeah."She whispered into Celestia's ear before her horn began to glow bright white. "Shining! Layered!" By this point Snow had launched herself off Lightning's back and was freefalling alongside the alicorn._

_Celestia broke her wings out of the ice and dove down, charging up a counter spell. "Tigerlily…"_

_Celestia touched down with a loud thud and aimed her horn at the falling unicorn. "Ballad!"  
>A large gout of flame shot from her horn as the magical laser fired from Snow's.<em>

_The two spells collided, Celestia expecting her spell to cut right through the neutral laser and fry Snow to a crisp. Instead she was greeted by the sight of her gout matching strength against Snow's laser. "No way. A regular unicorn shouldn't be that powerful."_

_Another pulse emitted from Snow's horn, ripping through reality in a way that would make Pinkie Pie proud. Snow was suddenly next to Celestia. She quickly bucked the alicorn in the front right leg and watched her falter. I an instant Snow was back up behind her laser. All in all a split second had passed._

_Celestia buckled as one of her legs gave out under pain. 'I must've landed harder than I thought. Well this is going to hurt.' She thought as the laser cut through her flame and hit her full force._

_Were it anypony else, they'd have been vaporized. Celestia simply stood up, smoke pouring from her form, her crown and gilded horseshoes had vanished. "So the strongest frost mare in the arcane order can match hooves with me. This will be fun." She smiled before breaking into maniacal laughter. "I've been waiting for a fight like this."_

_Snow popped a pair of stims and faced down the regent of the sun. "Then let's see how bright your flame really burns." She smirked._

_The royal guards and the arcane ponies they had been fighting stopped their respective fights and turned to watch. None had expected Celestia to enter the fray._

_The combatants eyed each other down, gauging the aura of each other. Celestia smiled as she watched Snow's aura continue to grow due to the stims. Within seconds it matched her own._

_A blue flash emanated from Snow's cutie mark as the world around her shattered, revealing a blue and red collection of spinning rings. Her mane flared and settled, leaving a blue glow around her body. The world returned to focus as the rings faded into nothing._

"_An evanescence spell?" Celestia gasped._

_Snow simply smiled and reared back, taking off at a full gallop towards the princess, firing off shards of ice as she ran._

_Celestia followed suite, flinging balls of flame as she ran._

_The projectiles exploded as they hit each other, creating a blanket of smoke that obscured the two from view as they ran. A subsonic boom echoed from the smoke, the pressure wave knocking it away and revealing the two ponies locked, hoof to hoof._

_Snow shifted her weight after a pulse from her horn, allowing herself to be knocked to the ground._

"_Giving up so soon captain?" Celestia asked before a torrent of snow and rock toppled onto her head._

"_Nope , just making sure I didn't get caught in my own spell." She smiled, willing a katana of ice to form, wielding it with her magic._

_Celestia burst from the snow pile with a burst of flame and summoned her own weapon. An old Hoofington rapier cloaked in fire._

_Using their magic to strengthen their hind legs they proceeded to stand upon them, grabbing their swords out of midair and holding them in their hooves._

_After a brief moment the two of them charged each other again, swords clashing._

_Lightning watched in awe from his vantage point above them. The acrobatics they were pulling on the ground was beyond even a flier like him. He swore he could hear music playing, an old battle song, battle for the throne. It took him a second to realize there was no music, just the sounds of the two swords clashing in perfect rhythm to the old song. Celestia providing the beat while Snow provided the rhythm. He watched as Snow summoned a second ice katana and listened as the clashes between two swordsmares somehow kept pace with the admittedly fast song. "Brilliant." He whispered as he watched."They're like dancers. Tango partners."_

_For every slash that Celestia dodged Snow had another one coming around to greet her.  
>Snow slipped up after her second slash and was spun around so her back was open to the alicorn. With practiced timing she crossed her katanas behind her back and caught the rapier in the exact point of the cross.<br>Snow released her grip on the hilts and spun around, grabbing the blades before they had started to fall. With a smirk she lashed out with one of her still earthbound hind legs and kicked Celestia away._

_Celestia jumped back to avoid the kick, watching as the powerful unicorn backflipped, throwing her swords into the air and launching a barrage of ice shards in mid flip. With one swipe of her sword she blocked all of the shards only to have to throw her guard up immediately as Snow charged forward, catching her swords as she did and resuming their deadly song of clashing blades._

_Celestia's forceful thrusts and stabs were met with the graceful slashes and spins of Snow. _

_With a push of her powerful wings, Celestia dodged a slash with both swords. Snow smirked as she continued her spin, throwing her katanas, impaling a pair of royal guards and summoning a longbow made of ice.  
>Snow's cutie mark pulsed blue and Celestia realized she had been herded into a trap. "Moonsong!" Snow yelled as she released the arrow of ice into the regent of the sun, freezing her solid as the arrow burst behind her and all the shards stabbed through the block and into Celestia's body.<em>

_Snow resummoned her katanas and jumped up, using her magic to give her legs the extra force needed to make the height, and cut the ice block into four pieces.  
>The two combatants fell to the ground panting.<em>

_Celestia was tiring, so was Snow. Their sword fight had been going for a good two or three hours. The soldiers around them had since returned to fighting each other and each army was on the brink of defeat. The only thing that kept them pushing on was the sight of their leaders still locked in combat._

_It was no longer trying to outdo each other, it was simply a matter of who faulted first. Celestia made the first mistake, parrying one of Snow's katanas and leaving herself wide open for the other.  
>The ice cold blade cut into her exposed midsection causing her to collapse and lose concentration on the spell that kept her on her hind legs. Succumbing to her exhaustion she collapsed to her side, the rapier vanishing into the pocket dimension she had summoned it from.<em>

_With a flourish Snow dispelled her katanas. "I won't kill you. You need to be alive for it to happen." _

_Lightning swooped down as Snow collapsed back to all fours and lowered his body to the ground as much as possible._

_Snow climbed on Lightning's waiting back. "You did good lieutenant." She yawned._

"_We kicked ass captain." He smiled before he took her back up to the one fiftieth floor balcony._

_Luna was already waiting for the two of them when they flew in through the wrecked door. "Congratulations Captain Snow Flake, Lieutenant Lightning Talisman. I didn't expect you to survive to be honest. But it will be a while before I can take the throne. However…" She trailed off. "You two are to receive promotions to lead you're respective groups." Luna announced as she teleported a pair of rank insignia into the room. "By the power vested in me as co-ruler of Equestria, I hereby declare Captain Snow Flake promoted to the rank of General of the Arcane and all the privileges that go along with it."  
><em>

"_Lieutenant Lightning Talisman you are hereby promoted to the rank of Flight Leader and garner all privileges that go along with it. You are to lead Team three of the Wonderbolts. My blessings and congratulations to you both."_

_Snow didn't care about the praise. She just wanted rest._

"_Are you okay Commander?" Lightning asked, concern washing over his face._

"_I… just need to… lie down… for a minute." She got out before she collapsed._

* * *

><p>"When I came too, Luna was in power and Stalliongrad had become the resistance headquarters where Celestia was holed up." Snow finished as she accompanied Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle on patrol of the Canter hwy. "I did a few campaigns as we pushed the Celestian army out of Canterlot. Shortly after Luna took power I was sent to meet up with you guys."<p>

"Bloody Applebloom." Scootaloo whispered. "She almost ruined everything."

"So what happened to those spells you were telling us about?" Sweetiebelle asked. "Lust SIN, Rebellion and Under Heaven Destruction?"

Snow winced. "Those spells are woven spells. I only pulled them off because I had the spirits of my brothers helping me." She sighed. "Lust SIN is my own spell. I can still do it. Rebellion was my brother, Burning Flash, his signature spell. As for the teleportation, that was a specialty of Strike Electro"

"And Under Heaven Destruction?" Scootaloo asked. "You said it was the result of Lust SIN and Rebellion merging."

"Exactly." Snow remarked. "Lust SIN is a mixture of Ice and Neutral magic. Rebellion is a mixture of Fire and Dark magic. My Ice magic was always the strongest elemental among the three of us." She sighed again. "Flash's Dark magic was the strongest attribute magic So they combined. Not a rare occurrence but uncommon."

"Could you show us Lust SIN?" Sweetiebelle asked excitedly, hopping around the older unicorn as they walked.

Before Snow could respond a voice called out. "Halt! Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo! You are charged with treason from the army of Celestia. You are to return to Ponyville to stand trial."

"Lust SIN!" Snow shouted as her signature spell flew towards the source of the voice and struck the white Pegasus dead on in the head, freezing him solid. "Avalanche!" A mass of snow and stone appeared above the frozen soldier and buried him. "Come on. Let's get back to Canterlot. Major Rains will be not be happy to hear about this."


	8. Scuffle of the elements

Rainbow waited for the blow that would end it all. Her ears heard the blade as it swung through the air and knew it was over.  
>'Nothing.' She thought to herself. 'No pain, no burning. Just nothing.'<p>

"Rainbow!" a familiar voice called out.

Rainbow's eyes shot open to see Twilight floating in front of her, her own blade covered in lightning, blocking Celeste's strike.

"You stupid foal. I keep telling you to let me know about these. We're a team Rainbow." Twilight scolded her before she pushed on her sword with her hooves, knocking Celeste back.

Rainbow watched as Twilight and Celeste clashed their blades again and again. Twilight's Zweihänder held in one hoof as opposed to the magic Celeste used to hold her rapier. With a flash from her horn, Twilight shifted the element encasing her sword to dark, the yellow lightning giving way to a black-red flame. Celeste followed suite, switching from fire to light, the red-orange flames giving way to a pure white glow. Rainbow was in awe as the two swordsmares clashed, neither giving an inch to the other. Twilight's powerful strikes somehow failing to penetrate the defense offered by Celeste's graceful movements.

Rarity and Pinkie awoke and glanced up at Rainbow Dash, still hovering in awe at the spectacle before her. With a quick nod to each the two set their favorite plan into action. Rarity encased Celeste and Pinkie in a time proof coating and slowed down time. Pinkie reversed gravity around herself and floated up to Rainbow.

Twilight's cutie mark pulsed yellow before she broke out of the temporal flux. With a huff she blocked another of Celeste's strikes and lashed out with a hind leg, kicking her light doppelganger away before rushing over and tapping rainbow's cutie mark with her horn, releasing the Pegasus from the flux as well. "Get it in gear Rainbow. Pinkie on your six." "Wha?" Rainbow asked before taking an uppercut to the jaw from Pinkie Pie. "Oh oh ohhhh. Oh you wanna play Pinkie? Okay then let's…" She paused as she wound up her back leg. "Plaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" She yelled as she took off after Pinkie at max speed, entering one of her wormholes.

Rarity charged up another magic blast to shoot the cyan Pegasus out of the air when something yellow slammed into her. The ivory unicorn grunted and fast forwarded herself so she landed on her hooves, before rearing back and locking hooves with the Pegasus who tackled her. "Fluttershy." She growled.

"Rarity." Fluttershy smirked, the daintiness in her voice a constant mockery towards the unicorn. "How nice to see you."

Twilight continued her assault on Celeste, having shattered the rapier her cousin held with her Zweihänder. "Haven't you learned yet cousin?" Celeste asked as the dark magic coursing through the blade continued to cut at her flesh. Light magic poured from the wounds. "I am nigh unkillable."

Twilight scoffed. "The correct circumstances will soon be in motion to prove otherwise."

"Delta-three-tango actual this is Mike-one-juliet over." Rainbow's radio buzzed. "Please report on recon over."

"Mike-one-juliet this is Delta-three-tango actual. I am enacting protocol two-five-eight subsection ten paragraph four. This mission is classified Despair." Rainbow told the FTC.

"Copy that Delta-three-tango. All communications will cease." The voice acknowledged.

'Now then.' Rainbow smiled as she pulled up and took aim. "Rainboom barrage!" A blue image of her cutie mark appeared behind her as her cannons started firing, each round leaving a rainbow shockwave and trail as they accelerated to supersonic speeds. Pinkie turned and activated her own shield glyph, a leathery hide of alligator skin appeared in front of her to soak up the assault. A few rounds penetrated the shield and hit her, leaving gashes, nicks and cuts. She owed her survival to the rapid healing her awakened element of Reality gave her. A blessing from Celestia Applejack had called it.

Twilight had had enough. At her will a blue image of her cutie mark appeared behind her. "It's no use blocking! Here's comes Lunara's cleaver!" She shouted as she charged forward, her sword backward. In the blink of an eye she was upon Celeste and with a great swing cut the alicorn diagonally across before swinging the sword straight up, causing the greatsword to snap clean in half from the strain.

The tip of the sword arced through the air, aiming right for Fluttershy and Rarity. With a grunt they pushed off each other just as the blade fell between them, sticking tip first into the ground. Twilight dropped the broken half of the sword still in her hoof. "Despair. Fall back!" She called out before she flew back toward Canterlot as Celeste fell into chunks. 'Drama queen.'

Rainbow dropped the empty round holders out of her cannons and flew behind Twilight.

Fluttershy took to the air and left an enraged Rarity behind.

"Why did you call for a retreat? We had 'em." Rainbow asked.

Twilight shot a glare at the cyan Pegasus. "You almost got yourself killed by bumbling straight into a trap. If I hadn't sent out Snow and Lightning when I did you might very well be six feet in the ground."

Rainbow gulped and nervously rubbed the back of her neck, laughing sheepishly. "Heh heh heh… oops."

"Rainbow, we're your friends. You don't have to rush off and fight these battles alone." Fluttershy told her fellow pegasi.

* * *

><p>Pinkie watched as Rainbow Dash flew off with the other two. "Grrr. I let her do it again!" She twitched.<p>

Rarity looked at herself in the reflective blade that had once been a part of Twilight's sword. She was absolutely livid. With a great deal of effort she managed to calm herself down. "Well, that was terrible. That snarky little flier will get hers one day."

Celeste rolled her eyes. "Can I get some help here? I'm kind of in pieces. Literally."

* * *

><p>Applejack laid in the infirmary. Her midsection was bandaged and she was groggy. The anesthetic was starting to wear off. "Ugh. Never ask for that again Applejack. Big Macintosh can kick yer rump so hard ya won't be walkin for a week." She chuckled to herself.<p> 


	9. Snow day

"So they sent a lone Pegasus soldier?" The red stallion asked.

"Yes sir Major Rains." Snow responded.

The stallion sighed. He was a secretive pony. He accepted his position of power proudly and had been one of the few royal guards who didn't care who was in power, as long as he kept getting paid and his family was safe in Canterlot he wasn't bothered who was in charge of signing his paycheck of ten thousand bits a day. "You know Commander you don't have to defer to me. For Celestia's sake you're a higher rank than I am. Plus I told you when we are alone we go by a first name basis."

If it had come from anypony else, they would have been dead before they hit the floor. Snow was a firm supporter of Luna and even gratifying the older of the two alicorns existence would earn you a trip to the morgue. "Very well then. Torrential. I defer to you because you are a member of the royal guard, I am a warlock."

A smile crept to the stallions lips. "A warlock powerful enough to be granted command of the arcane mares frost division and the entirety of the arcane ponies in general."

"Back to the matter at hand." Snow sighed, steering the conversation away from her exploits. "I don't think they'd be stupid enough to commit more than a dragons handful of troops to this cause. That and…" She trailed off.

"And?" The stallion waved his hoof, urging her to continue.

"And I don't trust the unicorn defector." Snow finished, glancing up at the large mural of a private chevron with a raindrop underneath it, the Major's cutie mark. "She just seems off."

The stallion brought a hoof to his chin in thought, his reddish-brown mane shifted as he did, his grey eyes closing for a scant few seconds.

It struck Snow as odd that this was the most any other pony had seen of him since he joined the royal guard about fifteen years ago. She had been fresh out of basic and he was her handler, the two remained good friends, even more so know that Snow was the general of the arcane ponies. Still she knew the most about him than any other pony. She was the only one who knew that he was an earth pony.

"Could be a double agent." The stallion suggested, breaking Snow out of her trip down memory lane. "But then you've always had better precognition then me. What do you see happening?"

Snow shrugged, her blue and cyan mane sat as elegantly as ever. "I've had nothing the past few days and weeks I've been a POW. Scootaloo hasn't been back in contact with her since we returned. Mainly due to her duties to the Wonderbolts. I've had… other things on my mind." She admitted as her mind drifted. A blush making its way to her cheeks.

"The Pegasus who escaped with you? Lightning Talisman?" Rains guessed.

Snow quickly shook off the blush. "Am I that obvious?" She asked.

Rains chuckled softly. "You never were good at hiding your emotions. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say you were"

"Please Torrential." Snow interrupted. "Family lineage and emotional obviousness are not intertwined."

"Everything is genetic." Rains laughed.

"Even positions of power." Snow smiled. She knew that the major planned to hand over his job to his foal one day. 'Luna damned nepotism.'

Rains stopped laughing and frowned slightly. "Well then. Let's get back to business. What do you propose we do about Sweetiebelle?"

"I've already blocked her access to anything higher than general encryption. She's under constant surveillance and whoa." Snow said.

"Ahh. Here it comes." Rains smiled as he breathed on the images of the royal tiara that sat over his shoulder pads, allowing the magic that washed off the unicorn to polish his Major insignia.

"I forgot how much of a headache these things are." Snow said in a monotone. Her eyes lit up white as her magic pierced the time stream.

After a few minutes (and one hell of a light show) the glow faded from her eyes.

"Well?" Rains asked, admiring the shine on his rank.

Snow panted as she got to her hooves. "I'll turn Sweetiebelle over to the Celestians myself. Tomorrow."

"A mister Talisman to see you sir. He says himself and miss Flake have been called to assist somepony." A speaker on the desk buzzed.

"Well. I was hoping for a bit more time to chat, but duty calls for you eh General?" Rains smirked before he backed into the wall behind him and vanished into the door that was hidden behind it.

Snow said nothing as she trotted out of the room with Lightning after he entered.

* * *

><p>It had been a quick sortie. Fly in, knock out the element of time, fly out. All in all about a fifteen minute engagement.<p>

"Snow Flake!" A voice called from behind her. With a glance she spotted Twilight Lunara, sans her greatsword.

"So it finally broke?" She asked the Alicorn as she pulled up beside Lightning.

"Yeah." Twilight said. "You finish the order I put in yesterday?"

Snow smiled. "Had the colts at R&D up all night working on it. The dark scythe is ready. We just put the magic transistor in this morning so the magic blade will activate as soon as…"

Lightning tuned out the conversation and turned to Rainbow Dash.  
>She was covered in bruises and had a few small cuts on her. "Yah look like shit flight lead."<p>

Rainbow smirked. "Yeah, well. A one on one with Pinkie Pie ain't really gonna do wonders for your looks."

* * *

><p>Snow led Twilight toward the armory. "Lightning. You don't have to follow me everywhere you know." She told her pegasus friend.<p>

The pegasus rolled his eyes. "We're a team."

Snow sneered. "If I remember correctly, because the Wonderbolts had no open positions you were appointed my personal chariot pegasus."

"Yeah but you forego the chariot and simply ride my back, plus I do help you with those combo things you keep yelling about in the middle of battle. Sounds like we're a team to me. A veritable army." Lightning smiled.

It was Snow's turn to roll her eyes. "An army of two? Sure they've existed but I don't think we're anywhere near that good." 'Yet.' She thought.

Lightning simply huffed. "Fine. I'll be at home, relaxing. As soon as you deliver that stupid sword you should join me." He shook his head as he flew off muttering something about fillies and their pickiness.

Twilight upped the speed of her trot and caught up to the unicorn. "Hey, Snow, maybe you should take it easy on him."

Snow huffed. "Not you too. I'm sick of him treating me like I'm a filly who can't stand up for herself."

"He's just worried about you." Twilight smiled. "He'd do anything to protect you and you know it."

"Exactly." Snow snapped. "I don't want him to. He's one of my few remaining friends. Has been since the raids on the palace ten years ago. I don't want him to get hurt because of me."

"Hey. I feel the same way about Fluttershy." Twilight responded. "I worry for her every time we head into combat. But she's the one who acts like the next time we get called in is going to be the last for one of us. She only worries like that because she cares for me."

Snow rolled her eyes and didn't say anything. Sure, she liked the pegasus stallion, loved him even. But he could be so suffocating at times.


	10. Ponyville's ruin

Snow dodged another diving slash as Twilight swung her new sword.  
>Snow had summoned her signature twin katanas made of ice and was blocking and parrying Twilight's attacks with the dark scythe, a large blade about three quarters the size of a pony. Rather than having a triangular point the blade curved into a point, intended for cutting or cleaving, not stabbing. The blade also wasn't attached to the grip in any particular way. A small grove ran the length of the blade, perpendicular to the hilt, with a peg holding the blade at hoofs length.<p>

"Alright Twilight." Snow huffed as she dispelled her katanas and formed a two hoofed scythe. "Using you magic twist the grip and let the blade fall to the ground, we worked in a little extra."

Twilights horn flared as she did as she was instructed and watched as the hilt telescoped. The peg that sat near the tip began to rotate and draw the blade up along a rail that had opened, the blade tipped as it reached the end of the rail and sat perpendicular to the floor. A hum started from inside the blade and a midnight blue blade of curved energy shot out turning the sword into a two hoofed scythe.  
>Twilight let out a low whistle. "Your colts went all out on this didn't they?"<p>

"It isn't often we get an order from someone as high up as you." Snow smiled as she summoned the test dummies. "Now there are two ways to fight with a scythe. I'm gonna show you a basic combo that will likely leave your opponent in at least eight pieces, if not more."

Fluttershy hovered just out of view and watched Twilight training with Snow.

* * *

><p>"Very well then." The emerald serpent smiled. "We have an agreement. Princess Luna. I pledge my assistance to the royal crown of the moon whenever it is requested, my draconic sons and daughters will bolster the ranks of your ponies and seek to give them safety whenever possible."<p>

"And I pledge that any wayward dragon, old or young, will find a safe haven in the walls of Canterlot, free from prejudice and fear as many already have." Luna smiled. "And furthermore to offer assistance to the draconic empire during times of crisis and need."

"It seems everything is in order. Thank you Luna. You are much easier to negotiate with than your sister." The serpent rumbled happily.

"Celestia always was a bit stubborn." Luna nodded.

"She makes you seem like a pushover. But at least I'm being listened to for a change." The dragon smiled.

* * *

><p>Twilight finished cleaving up another dummy with the combo Snow taught her.<br>"It's incredible." She remarked. "It doesn't require much power behind each swing but it still causes so much damage. Have you named it yet?"

Snow wasn't listening. Her gaze was turned up at the night sky. "We've got company."

A pair of pure white pegasi wearing obsidian black armor crashed into the training yard, the remnants of an invisibility charm fading off their armor.  
>"You two ponies are in for a world of hurt."<p>

"Lunacy!" Twilight cried out as she returned the dark scythe to its sword form.

"On their part maybe." Snow shot back as she summoned her katanas. With a quick flare of her horn she sent a message to Twilight.

'This is the part where we kill you.' Snow's voice rang in Twilight's head.

"This is the part where we kill you." One of the pegasus said.

Twilight giggled as she raised her sword and let the blue flash from her cutie mark do the talking, cleaving one of the pegasi into four pieces and watching as they all vaporized in a dark fire.  
>She turned in time to see Snow's cutie mark flash red as she stabbed her swords into the ground.<p>

"Arctic Burst!"

* * *

><p>"How did you do that? Only the Awakened elements should have that power!" Twilight asked as both she and Snow trotted away from the training yard. With a glance over her shoulder she saw the tips of the giant ice spikes sticking out of the ground.<p>

Snow shrugged. "Blood relations to the elements manifest in weird ways. I was lucky enough to get what you call the 'unlimit' ability."

"Blood relations? So you're related to one of the elements? Who?" Twilight asked.

"To answer your questions in order. Yes. Yes. My little secret." Snow shrugged. "I should get home. Lightning is probably worried sick."

Before twilight could open her mouth the unicorn vanished in a burst of ice vapor.

Twilight huffed. Snow was her friend but she was very secretive about herself. "Still. With the intrusion those pegasi performed I can at least name that attack string now. Lunacy." As she spoke the word her cutie mark pulsed red. "And now it's my overlimit ability."

* * *

><p>Snow reappeared in the house she shared with Lightning. The pegasus was fast asleep. With a sigh she trotted over to her desk and pulled the folder from the drawer. It was labeled 'Classified. For the eyes of the head of the arcane mages only.' "Well that's me." She huffed. She had found the folder in a letter addressed to her from a pony in intelligence known as 'The elusive stallion.'<br>She had scanned the first two pages of the document in the folder but decided to read them again, properly this time, her own voice echoed in her mind as she began to read.

'Subject number three-seven-two dash nine.  
>First name: Snow<br>Test alias: Flake.  
>Elemental affinity: Ice.<br>Ability affinity: Neutral. (curiosity. Not many unicorns display the raw magical energy she does.)  
>Physical combat prowess without magical aids: Low.<br>Same as above with magical aids: Extreme.'

"Standard testing forms for when I was admitted to the arcane academy." Snow mused. "Nothing really bizarre about it." She smirked as she turned the page. It documented her skills five years on.

'Snow appears to possess an uncanny ability with blending her element and ability magic. She's only a filly and already she can strengthen her hind leg muscles to keep her upright in a bipedal position. She can also form and maintain a pair of daggers made of ice and wield them with startling efficiency. We're looking at element level magical abilities. Recommend immediate transference to the apocalypse siblings program.  
>Side note: Her parents had another unicorn filly. Trixie. She displays next to no signs of advanced magical combat aptitude. She has already started her education at a magic boarding school in Hoofington Received word from Celestia. Twilight Sparkle will be sent to live with the family. They have assumed the Sparkle name under the guise of taking on Starlight's family name to avoid suspicion. As such Snow Eclipse is to be kept as far as possible from her sister Trixie and adopted sister Twilight.'<p>

Snow wanted to close the folder then and there but the little voice inside her screamed for her to keep reading so she turned the page. The last entry was titled ten years ago.

'Who fucked this up? Of fucking course it was Celestia. Her divine hoof of judgment sent Trixie Eclipse to Ponyville, prompting a show down between the two sisters. That was two fucking years ago and now she's got Snow Eclipse acting as Twilight's ponyguard? It's like she's trying to mess everything up. And don't think I don't know she's been playing her sister, Luna, like a fiddle. She's down here now, snooping around at her sister's behest. It's just a matter of time before she stumbles upon the Sparkle family chambers. And the order she's been given things, it will be when the guards haven given Snow some horseshit about new frost mages and taken Twilight to the Sparkle chambers, where she will interrupt and ruin everything. I swear, we will make Celestia pay for this.'

Snow closed the folder and levitated a pair of saddlebags onto her midsection. She stowed the folder and wrote a quick note to Lightning before teleporting away.

* * *

><p>Snow appeared on the outskirts of Ponyville with an unconscious Sweetiebelle draped across her back. "Hey. The icy reaper is here to send you all to the sun!" She yelled as she approached the town gates. "Hellooooo! Pizza delivery!" She snickered.<p>

The gates opened, revealing Rarity and Celeste. Snow narrowed her eyes and threw Sweetiebelle at Rarity with her telekinesis before sidestepping Celeste's sword swing and punching her in the face, knocking her back onto her haunches.  
>Snow pulled herself into a battle stance and stalked into the town, katanas in hooves. "Pizza delivery. One large revenge pizza with a heaping helping of 'you bitch' and a slice of 'give me back my sister' for Celestia." She smirked as the gate slammed down behind her.<p>

* * *

><p>Princess Luna and the dragon king watched as Ponyville lit up like a forest fire.<p>

"And she's your personal grim pony?" Rayquaza asked. "Something must have pissed her off."

Luna was almost livid. "Celestia planned all of this. She thought ten steps ahead. With backups in place for everything." The regent of the moon stopped and took a deep breath. "Well. My sister always did have plans to make the world hers. I guess I helped with the fact I wanted to make her happy as an apology so I set everything in motion."

"In the end we'll all pay. Not just for your mistakes. For hers too." The serpent nodded sagely. "The war is almost at a close."

"How can you tell?"

"When you've been around as long as I have, you just know these things."


End file.
